One Non-Nyan-Nyan
by Miome
Summary: *semi-complete, abadoned* Sequel to 'One Smart Nyan-Nyan'. (Fushigi Yuugi is by Watase Yuu. No profit is made by this fic.)
1. Default Chapter

One Non-Nyan-nyan: Part 1

One Non-Nyan-nyan: Part 1

Blue was playing checkers with Taitsu-kun and winning.

Taitsu-kun had overnight both learned Blue's name and approved of her changed condition. It had was something that had weighed heavily on Blue's mind. It was bad enough that her sisters had only now begun to trust her again, but if Taitsu-kun had rejected her she wouldn't be able to bear it.

They sat in a solarium with the fall sun warming the room and blooming flowers scenting the air. Blue liked the solarium best because it was always springtime and there were no works-in-progress to distract Taitsu-kun.

Taitsu-kun, in turn, had begun to spend more time with Blue. In fact, now the only time Blue couldn't see Taitsu-kun or Chichiri-sama was when they had magic lessons; when she had suggested that she could watch, they both turned pale and shook their heads frantically.

"Hah!" cried Taitsu-kun, moving a piece. "I've got you now!" She slapped down a black piece, then watched in silence as Blue claimed three of hers.

"Errrr . . . " said Taitsu-kun, even as the door opened and Chichiri-sama stuck his head in. "Hey, I'm going to the village, no da. Need anything?"

"Ah, let me check my storeroom. Blue, I'm afraid I'll have to forfeit . . . how about tommorrow I'll teach you to play Mai Jhong?"

"Hai!" said Blue, waving to her departing friends. Then she began to put the game away and straighten the chairs.

On the way to Taitsu-kun's storeroom, Chichiri-sama said, "You owe me, sensei." "Here, don't spend it all in one place." Taitsu-kun dropped a clinking bag into Chichiri-sama's hand.

"Arigato no da, sensei!"

Chichiri wound among the street vendors, looking at the vast array of elegant and tacky merchandise displayed. _Hmmmm . . . something for Taitsu-kun, something for Blue . . . and some candy for the nyan-nyans._ Then he stopped and thought. _Uh, bad idea, no da. Hmmmm . . . _

Blue tended the small plot she and Chichiri-sama had planted in the courtyard. Carefully she unearthed turnips and plucked beans, cut the lush green leafs and twisted off the heads of cabbage. She put them in baskets between the rows, and every so often would ask one of her sisters to carry a full one inside. Her sisters liked this game, and would wait in crowds for her to ask someone to do something. They quickly learned that doing things on their own was against the rules of this game, and waited almost patiently for her instructions.

"Nyan-nyan?" said Blue, looking up at the sky, which had begun to darken. The next girl in line came forward and said, "Hai, Blue-san?" "Go see if Chichiri-sama is back, then come and tell me." "Hai!"

"Whew no da! Done at last." sighed Chichiri, hefting a rather heavy bundle. "Don't know how other people actually enjoy this shopping thing, no da." He spotted a tavern, and grinned. "Well, maybe I have enough time for a cup of tea, no da." He slung the bundle on his back and stepped lightly up the stair.

The inside was rather dim, but pratically deserted. There were three men in a back corner and an elderly man bringing them sake. He humbly presented them with it, and then placed it on the table. The men ignored him and poured the wine, talking low but intensely.

"Ano . . . May I have some tea, no da?" asked Chichiri politely. "Oh, of course!" exclaimed the old man, who quickly trundled into the back room.

Chichiri glanced at the men in the corner, and then sat down with a sigh and stretched out his legs. _Ahhh, this is worse than lessons with Taitsu-kun, no da . . ._

"Hey, you, foriegn boy."

Chichiri looked up and saw one of the trio, a thin, slightly balding man, tottering towards him, obviously inebriated. "Gomen, but I am from here within Konan, no da, a little village called Laon. My name is Chichiri, no da." He gave them a friendly smile, and tried to hide his bundle with one leg.

Being a rather large bundle, it didn't work. "Hey, watcha got there?" said one of his friends, a big, husky man. "Hey, gettin' presents for ya girlfriend?" "Na, skinny one like him ain't got a woman to cook for him . . . " commented the third, a sly look in his eye. Chichiri couldn't quite contain his reaction to that, and the skinny man said, "Ah, courting then. Wish I had the yen to buy presents for my sweet . . . "

"'Ey, you usually don't even try to charm 'em, anyway. Pay by the night for your wives, you do." joked the big man. "I do not! Anyway, what say ya give your gifts to someone who actually has a chance, eh?"

"Ah . . . actually, this is for my hostess and her daughters, no da." "Never mind that, hand it over!"

The man lunged for the package, and Chichiri jumped back out of the way. The man grabbed up his prize, and the other two looked at him suspiciously. "You not goin' ta fight for it?" said the third man, obviously the leader.

"No na no da. If you want it that much, you may have it, no da. It is not worth fighting over."

"Yeah, you just yellow," growled the man still clutching the package.

"Perhaps no da. Goodbye." Chichiri walked towards the door, then ducked under the chair one of them swung at him. However, he hadn't anticipated the club which suddenly appeared in the other's hand, and the world dissolved into darkness.

Blue's eyes suddenly went wide, and she clutched her chest in pain. She stagered and fell to her knees among the rows of plants, gasping for breath.

"Blue-san, Blue-san! Fix Blue-san!" cried the Nyan-nyans.

"NO," Blue choked, trying to find her voice in a suddenly airless world. "H-help . . . Chichiri . . . "

"Chichiri-sama?" said the Nyan-Nyans, looking at each other. Blue looked up with tears in her eyes, then collasped in the dust.

"Blue-san!" The Nyan-nyan cried, clustering around her fallen form. They lay their tiny hands on her back, head, arms and legs - wherever they could reach. From their hands came a golden glow, which ran like water into Blue's body and dissappeared.

Blue levered herself into a sitting position, still stunned by quickness with which the pain had come and gone. "Chichiri!" she gasped, turning to her sisters. "Please . . . take me to him!"

The Nyan-nyan nodded, and one came forward to kneel before Blue. Silently, she placed her first two fingers on Blue's forehead, and closed her eyes. There was a spark, like the striking of a match, and then the Nyan-nyan smiled and rose.

"Good luck, Oneechan!" they cried, as Blue dissapeared.


	2. Chapter 2

One Non-Nyan-nyan: Part 2

Chichiri lay sprawled on the floor, gasping shallowly. He had fallen across one of the wooden tables, and he felt sharp pain in his left knee, and the warm wetness of blood. His mask fell as he lifted himself enough to look at his attackers.

"Why?" he asked. "I . . . gave you . . . "

"Stupid man, as if we believe you'd just give us your valuables. You must be protecting something else!" The husky man snarled and stalked closer, club lifting into the air once more.

Chichiri quickly reached down to grab the broken pitcher which had cut his knee. With startling speed he flung it in the face of his attacker, then rolled as far away as he could. Unfortunately, it also put the three men between him and the open doorway.

"Arrrgghhh! He cut me!" roared the thief, hand covering the right side of his face from which blood spilled. Chichiri looked on in shock and stuttered, "G-gomen . . . I didn't mean to . . . "

"Bastard!" the leader quickly cut him off. "Get him!" The three moved in on the fallen monk, who by this time was reeling from shock and blood loss. He made a shaky gesture, and tried to chant, but the club slammed into his gut and all his could do was choke.

"Stop!" cried a voice, and a golden bubble appeared above Chichiri. It's light spilled onto the faces of the thieves, casting stark shadows on their frightened faces. They backed away quickly, one man falling to the floor and scuttling crab-wise.

The orb bobbed and pulsed with agitation, and the voice spoke again. "Why? Why are you doing this . . . ?" Chichiri's head jerked up as he recognized Blue's voice, but when he tried to speak all that came out was a gut-wrenching cough.

The light flashed again, and Blue knelt beside Chichiri. "Why . . . ?" she whispered, her face pale and pupils contracted to pinpoints. She lay her hands on him, and light very much the same as came from her sisters came from her, and flowed into Chichiri's wounds. The wounds contracted a little, but soon expanded back, and she looked anxiously into his face. "Chichiri . . . help?"

He shook his head, then smiled as best he could. Another coughing fit shook his body, and Blue held his head to her shoulder. Flecks of blood stained the fabric, followed soon by her tearmarks. Then she shook her head violently and held her hands in the air above his head. Gossamer light floated down to surround him, then contracted into a golden bubble. In its reflection Blue could see Chichiri's form, floating. "Go to Taitsu-kun!" she commanded, and blew on it. She concentrated as she followed it's path, then smiled in satisfaction.

Her smile faded as she once again became aware of her surroundings. The three attackers stare at her in horror and shock as she walked up to them, hands clasped behind her back.

"Why did you do that? It'll take a long time to fix . . . I don't understand. Why?"

The leader was the first to recover. "It's a demon," he whispered harshly. The other two started, then their eyes narrowed into slits. They began stalking towards her, towering over her small figure.

Blue stared fixedly at the big man's club, still stained with blood. The man noticed her stare with a grin, and raised the weapon threateningly.

She was confused for a moment, then comprehension flashed. Her eyes narrowed, and the man yelped as the club exploded in his hand.

The thin man tried to escape, but found a wall of light across the door and shuttered windows. He turned back and gaped at the thing in the shape of a young girl, which stood as if on solid ground in midair. Her eyes flicked to him, and he felt a stabbing sensation in his brain. In a moment his entire life ran before his eyes, but he sensed the eyes of another watching, too. He moaned and slumped to the floor, completely drained.

The other two men did likewise, and Blue stood over their forms. "You . . ." she whispered. "I . . . there was no reason . . . !" The building began to shudder, and the timbers crack. From a curtained doorway emerged the frightened old man.

"Please, customer-sama . . . please don't destroy my home."

Blue gazed at him in shock, and then dissappeared. The light faded, and the old man was left inside the damaged, darkened building with three still forms.


	3. Chapter 3

One Non-Nyan-nyan: Part 3

One Non-Nyan-nyan: Part 3

Blue had no idea where she was. Well, not quite: she knew she wasn't where she had been, but somehow she didn't know where that was, either. It was hard to think, she was so comfortable. The thick golden liquid in which she was suspended was warm like sunlight, but more so. Her mouth opened in wonder, and it flowed into her lungs, more refreshing than any breath she had ever taken.

She breathed and drank at the same time, to take in more of the precious stuff. Her arms lifted from her sides to spread upwards, or at least towards the light which shown towards her. She opened her eyes wide to gaze on it, and was mildly startled to see that her arms had become translucent, with tiny, threadlike branches of light inside them. As she watched, the lines began to blur and fade, dispersing their light into her surroundings. Her eyes drifted shut as she felt the joy of it, an embrace that felt strangely like that of her sisters.

Chichiri stretched to draw the next line, and winced as his broken ribs cried a protest. The Nyan-nyans hadn't had time to heal him completely; they had been too busy trying to bring Blue out of her coma.

He shook his head a little and fought back diziness. Thinking about that wouldn't do any good. There was nothing he could do, and his self-recriminations wouldn't wake Blue-chan up. He completed the second line of the pentagram, and moved on to the third.

He had come here, to Taitsukun's workroom, to distract himself from what happened. He had arrived by simply floating into Taitsukun's hands, literally a bubble on the breeze, and even in his half-conscious state had expected Blue to soon follow. However, it had been more than an hour before Blue reappeared - and then it had been in a crash into the apple tree beside the road. Taitsukun and the Nyan-nyans had her in a bed almost immediately, but that had been late afternoon. It was almost dawn now, and still Blue had not stirred.

Chichiri started, then cursed as his chalk snapped. He ought to sleep, but he couldn't. He had thought that maybe working on this particular spell, one he had tried multiple times and never completed successfully, would take the edge off his nervous energy, but it seemed he was wrong. He doubted this attempt would be any better than the others.

In almost rueful resignation he began to chant, focusing his chi to the center of his careful diagram. With the blessings of Suzaku, by the end of his chant Blue would finally awake.

Taitsukun watched the wan, still form intently, worry plain in the deep grooves between her brows and beside her mouth. Several Nyan-nyans also knelt around the bed, uncharacteristically silent, heads bent in prayer. Rather than the usual glowing globes, the room was lit only by candles, in stands set up at regular intervals along the walls.

Suddenly, despite the stillness of the air, all the candles began to flicker. The Nyan-nyans looked towards Blue's prone form in wide-eyed alarm, although they did not rise or unfold their hands.

Taitsukun nodded once, sharply, and floated to the bedside. She placed one withered yet strong and capable hand on Blue's forehead, and began to sing. Her voice was smooth and steady, and soon accompanied by the higher counterpoint of the Nyan-nyans.

Blue felt a vague discomfort, as if someone were . . . tickling her from inside her head. She opened her eyes and mouth wide to let more light in, and it eased.

*Blue!* cried a voice, but Blue's only answer was a cry of protest as she felt herself thrust upwards through the water. There was a pressure all over her body, but mostly on her upturned face and eyelids. She wanted to stay, but something pushed her up . . . until the water broke and she gasped, coughing in the chill air.

*What happened . . . where am I? I feel different, somehow.* She opened her eyes to a world that looked much like her own, but in shades of gold. *Oh! It's so beautiful!* She paddled towards the grassy shore, almost laughing aloud.

Her swishing feet hit somewhat solid ground, and she waded to waist height. She looked down at the sparkling sand under her feet, searching for plants, seashells, fish . . . anything that might tell her where she was. She was disturbed to find nothing but sand and small rocks. *No sign of anything living in the water. Except maybe the water itself?* A shiver passed through her and she quickly scrambled up the slope to shore.

Panting a little, she leaned against a tree which spread it shade on the water. The wind rippled through her hair, and she raised her face to it, and gasped in suprise. 

*What . . . what is this? Is it day or night?! The stars . . .!* The sky was a bright gold that seemingly sourcelessly illuminated everything, but is was also speckled with an infinite number of stars, in no pattern Blue had ever seen before. They winked at her, and despite the fact that they remained perfectly still Blue was reminded of children playing.

Blue smiled tenderly. *This place is so nice, surely it would be alright . . . I'm so tired . . .* She lay her head against the bark of the tree and slept.

Chichiri looked at his set spell in frustration. He had done everything correctly, it was primed and ready, yet it would not activate. He blinked wearily and wondered if he should simply deactivate the construction and try to sleep.

_Chichiri-sama?_


	4. Chapter 4

One Non-Nyan-nyan: Part 4

One Non-Nyan-nyan: Part 4

_Chichiri-sama?_ repeated the voice, as Chichiri fell over backwards into the workbench. The somewhat rickety structure came down with a crash, scattering a variety of interesting, mysterious, and a few slightly ridiculous items all accross the floor.

Chichiri didn't care in the slightest.

"Blue!" he cried, his eyes stinging with joy. "Blue, you're alright!"

_Chichiri-sama? Where are you?_

Chichiri was startled to notice that Blue was nowhere in the room - or out in the hallway, or anywhere else. "Blue - where are _you_? I can't find you . . . "

_I was in a gold lake, but I fell asleep under a tree. Why is it so hard to hear you?_

"A gold lake . . . ? Just keep talking, Blue, I'll get Taitsu-kun to - Blue, can you hear me? Blue? Blue!"

But the air in the workroom was as still as a tomb.

"Excuse me . . . "

Blue felt someone shaking her, and she relunctantly awoke from the deepest sleep she had ever had. She gradually became aware of the rough bark pressing into her back, and the pleasant scratchiness of grass beneath her. The hands shook her again, and her eyes opened slowly, as if she still dreamed.

"Excuse me, would your name happen to be Blue?"

The man standing over her had wings. Real, solid, man-sized wings. He sat patiently as she inspected them, marveling at how soft and warm they were. The gold soil and plants reflected their deep crimson, as well as the lighter red of his robes and hair. The character on his forehead glowed softly as he smiled at her.

"You must be Blue. Taitsu-kun said you were a curious one . . . she's really worried about you, you know. Why don't you go home?"

Blue's brow knotted, and her mouth drooped a little at the edges. "I'm sorry. I really want to go back, but I don't know how! Can you lead me?"

He laughed as if she had told a joke, and she drew back a little, hurt. "I'm sorry, you wouldn't know. I can't get into that world except through a very special ceremony. I guess I can teach you how to get back, though . . . oh!"

His exclamation came in response to a glow that began to envelope Blue. "It looks like you know already!" He rose and dusted off his robes, and Blue felt a momentary pang that she had caused him to dirty such beautiful garments. He seemed to hear her thought, and replied, "Don't worry. We don't get many visitors, especially ones like you. Take care!"

"Wait! I have things I want to ask you! Why are we the only colored things here? Why doesn't anything live in that lake? How do I get home?" Blue's hands curled into fists, and she felt a surge of . . . something. Her face grew warm, and she felt the urge to clutch him and make him answer.

"You're going home, Blue, you're on your way! Your other questions . . . something does live in that lake; it's the wellspring of life. And we're the only things colored because . . . " His voice faded in and out as Blue slipped away, feeling herself fall an interminable distance.

"Blue? Can you hear me?"

Blue's first sight was one that, all things considered, would have killed a lesser person. Blue just smiled and hugged her mother as hard as she could.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" fussed Taitsu-kun, rocking Blue gently. "If my hair wasn't already white . . . !" The Nyan-nyans crowded around, patting her hair and arms and murmuring soothing words. Blue squeezed Taitsu-kun once more, then sat back, wiping away a tear.

"I'm so glad to see you! I'm sorry I worried you - " Blue stopped and stared. "What is it?"

"Taitsu-kun, you're beautiful!"

"That's it," said someone out of her line of vision, "her mind's been damaged, no da." "_Excuse me?!_" growled Taitsu-kun, turning far enough so that Blue could see Chichiri. He grinned at his sensei, knowing there was no way she'd let go of Blue just to punish him.

"Nyan-nyans?" said Taitsu-kun, and Chichiri paled.

"Fix Chichiri's sense of humor."

The old sorceress turned back to Blue, ignoring the frantic pleas and cries of "fix, fix, cure, cure!" coming from the massive tangle behind her. She patted the girl's head gently. "Thank you, Blue. How are you feeling now?"

"Better. Different. I - whoa!" Blue's arm brushed her chest, and she stared down in disbelief. She poked them again, then pulled forward her shirt and stared down it. "What are _those?_ They aren't dangerous, are they? Taitsu-kun, I have swollen places on my chest! Can you fix it?"

The movement behind Taitsu-kun stopped. As one, the Nyan-nyans and Chichiri looked at her; then a mass of blue hair and huge eyes hurtled towards her, while the mage blushed hard enough to see through his mask. He quickly turned towards the wall, stuck his fingers in his ears, and began to hum.


End file.
